Archive of posts tagged Russia

The Russian tractor manufacturer ZIL has unveiled a prototype version of a lightly armored personnel carrier which is said to have been commissioned by the Russian army, and could enter service in the next couple of years.

The strangely proportioned, and as-yet unnamed ZIL army vehicle is based on a Humvee chassis. But the cabin is like something out of a straight-to-DVD, low-budget sci-fi flick. The v-shaped bottom of the vehicle is similar in design to many modern military vehicles, and is designed to deflect the blast of a concealed mine. Although judging by the thickness of the doors, there isn’t a whole lot of armor plating. Those big windows and skinny pillars also don’t look up to the job of protecting the occupants from incoming fire – or saving them in the event of a roll-over either.Continue reading ‘Russian-built, Humvee-based ZIL army personnel carrier’ »

The Antonov A-40 Krylya Tanka – which in Russian means “Tank Wings” – was a prototype aircraft/light tank combination developed by the Soviets during the dark days of the Second World War.

The Antonov A-40 was a glider, not a powered aircraft. The idea was that a large, powerful transport aircraft would tow the A-40 into the air and to the battlefield where it would glide down to the ground with the crew already aboard. Once on the ground, the wooden wings and tail booms would be quickly unbolted and the tank would operate like any other.Continue reading ‘Strange Vehicles: Antonov A-40 “Flying Tank”’ »

Russian sunseekers happily relaxing on Mechnikovo beach, near Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, had their peace and quiet rudely disturbed by a 500-ton Zubr-class military hovercraft – currently the largest hovercraft in the world. The Zubr-class of hovercraft is quite frankly massive. Within its 400 square meter cargo area it can carry three main battle tanks, or 500 troops. It has a range of armament including missile launchers, rocket launchers and a whole load of very nasty machine guns. In short, not what you want to see when you’re sitting around in Speedos.

Apparently when this particular Zubr came ashore a whole load of marines jumped out and began to order everyone off the beach. Reports suggest the marines were less-than-polite in the way they asked people to leave. Although to be fair, trying to drive a 500-ton hovercraft over them was probably worse.Continue reading ‘Video: 500-ton Russian Hovercraft invades busy beach’ »

The humble dashcam has captured many crazy moments over the years. Russia seems to provide a rather substantial proportion of the crazy/stupid/weird/funny stuff that is caught on tape. This is another fine example.

Today’s protagonists are a unidentified grey hatchback and a white Lada of some sort? The Lada driver with the dashcam passes the hatchback on what appears to be the inside lane before more than likely cutting him off as he passes another car in the right-hand lane. Not the kindest maneuver to do to your fellow driver, but one which most seasoned motorists can brush off fairly easily. Not so grey hatchback man. He gets in front of the Lada and starts braking, swapping lanes to block him in, and just generally causing danger and annoyance, all at highway speeds.Continue reading ‘Video: Russian Road Rage – Nobody Wins Edition’ »

At the 2012 Moscow Motor Show, Russian automaker AvtoVAZ unveiled a concept vehicle developed for their Lada brand. The Lada Xray concept was created by Steve Mattin, British-born former Mercedes-Benz and Volvo designer who is now Head of Design at AutoVAZ.

The Lada Xray’s main success comes from the fact it doesn’t really look like a Lada. It actually looks like somebody has spent more than five minutes at the drawing board trying to come up with something that people might find appealing. I’m not saying its amazing. But it’s amazing for Lada.

Dartz is a Latvian company unparalleled in the world of automotive manufacturing. Not because of their quality or performance. But because of their willingness to develop vehicles nobody else dares create. The company has equally eagerly absurd plans for their latest vehicle, the Dartz Nagel Dakkar.

Now I’m not trying to mock Dartz, this is genuine information gleaned from their official press release for the vehicle. Dartz say the Nagel Dakkar is the first vehicle in a new class; BNUDS. BNUDS is an acronym for Bespoke Noble Urban Desert Safety. Yes really. What Dartz are really trying to say is the Nagel Dakkar is a tailor-made luxury off-roader.Continue reading ‘Dartz Nagel Dakkar Luxury Off-Roader’ »

I’m not taking sides here. To be honest both drivers seem a little out of line. The driver of the car is in the wrong for not allowing the SUV some space and forcing them to sit dangerously in the opposite lane. While the driver of the SUV should maybe have checked in the rear-view mirror and spotted that the guy with the dashcam had left enough space for him to slot in there. Blame sits at roughly the 50/50 mark. But it’s what happens next that’s genius.Continue reading ‘Video: The Art of Russian Road Rage’ »